17 September 2007

By: Roxana Deduleasa, Gadget News Editor
ASUS to Launch R300 and R700 GPS Multimedia Navigators This Fall!
The company disclosed some important features of the devices
Asus R300/R700 GPS/PMP unwiredview
ASUS plan to launch a GPS/media player device in the near future, but they haven't provided too much information regarding the product. However, the company recently disclosed important details on two brand new navigators, which are going to be dubbed R300 and R700. The R700 is already being shown in recent photos over the Internet, therefore it's easy to say it features a minimal design, some simple to use controls, a generous 4.3-inch 480 x 272 pixels resolution touchscreen and more characteristics that make today's customers buy such devices. The R700 comes packed with 64 of RAM, 128 MB of ROM and a 400Mhz Samsung CPU. As for its media capabilities, the player is said to be compatible with most of the file formats available on the market, such as AAC, MP3, WMA music files, as well as MPEG-4 video files. Not to mention the memory boost with the integrated microSD it supports. Besides that, the ASUS R700 is Bluetooth 2.0 enabled and has the great ability to receive SMS messages, which is a very popular feature nowadays. Apparently, its only special feature is a built-in RDS-TMC receiver for traffic data. And if it matters anyway, the users will also have an FM tuner available. The other player that is being under development sports an identical design line, mostly the same features except for the RDS-TMC receiver, and sadly displays a 3.5 inches touchscreen, visibly minimized from the R700's 4.3 inch. It will also come packed with a 400 Mhz Samsung CPU, 128/64 MB of internal memory and 1300 mAh battery inside. If these details aroused your interest in ASUS gadgetry, you should also know both players are expected to hit the market starting November, therefore it's definitely not too late to write your letter to Santa!
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2 Getting started with ASUS GO
ASUS GO is optimised for in-car use. You can use it easily by tapping the screen buttons and the map with your fingertips. ASUS GO can plan routes throughout the whole installed map set; you do not need to change maps or switch to a poorly detailed general map to navigate between map segments or countries.

Using a stylus

Instructions
You do not need a stylus to use ASUS GO. Tap the buttons and the map with your fingertips.
Tapping and tapping&holding You do not need to double-tap the screen and usually you do not a button need to grab the screen either. A single tap is usually enough. You need to tap&hold the screen only in the following cases: Moving the handle on a slider Moving the map Zooming, tilting or rotating the map Deleting several characters in the text entry field on keyboards
For more information, see page 10. Finding information about the For information about the buttons and controls, see page 9. For buttons and features of ASUS information about each menu, see page 28. GO
The initial screen of ASUS GO
ASUS GO starts by displaying the Navigation menu in Simple mode.
The fastest way to find your destination and start navigating is tapping the button. You can select your destination in the following ways (not all of them are available in Simple mode): Use the selected location on the map (the Cursor) (page 17). Enter a full address or a part of an address, for example a street name without a house number or the names of two intersecting streets (page 18). Enter an address with postal code (page 22). This way you do not need to select the name of the settlement and the search for street names might be faster as well. Use a coordinate (page 24) Use a saved location:
a Favourite (page 23) a POI (page 23) the History of previously set destinations and waypoints (page 24)
2.1 Simple and Advanced modes
The application starts in Simple mode, but you have the possibility to choose between the two user modes: Simple mode: you have easy access to the most important navigation functions and the basic settings only. Advanced mode: you have access to the full functionality of ASUS GO.

You can check the details of a location (address, coordinate, nearby POIs) by tapping the location on the screen. The Cursor (red dot with radiating red circles) appears. The address of the location is displayed at the bottom of the map. During navigation, this line shows the current street and house number information. to open theCursor menu. Now tap Tap coordinate and the list of nearby POIs. to see the address, the
2.4.2 Manipulating the map
You can change how the map looks: You can tilt it, rotate it or scale it to best suit your needs while you are creating, planning or following a route. You can customise which icons and buttons are visible.
Position markers on the map:

Current GPS position:

(page 13)
Selected location (Cursor):

(page 14)

Action
Moving the map with drag&drop Zooming in and out

Button(s)

No buttons

Description

You can move the map into any direction: tap and hold the map, and move your finger to the direction into which you want to move the map. Changes how much of the map ASUS GO displays on the screen. ASUS GO uses high-quality vector maps that let you see the map at various zoom levels, always with optimised content. It always displays street names and other text with the same font size, never upside-down, and you only see the streets and objects that you need.

Viewing modes

Gives you the following map perspectives in ASUS GO: classic top-down view (2D) perspective view (3D)
Tilting up and down Zoom presets Tilt presets
Change the vertical view angle of the map in 3D mode. Tap one of the preset buttons to set the zoom level to a predefined value. These buttons are available in 2D mode. Tap one of the preset buttons to set the tilt (and zoom) level to a predefined value. These buttons are available in 3D mode. Changes the horizontal view angle of the map in 3D mode. When GPS position is available, ASUS GO always rotates the map so its top faces your direction of travel (Track-Up orientation). You can turn away from Track-Up with these buttons.

Rotating left and right

Smart Zoom
If you enable Smart Zoom, ASUS GO can automatically rotate, scale and tilt the map and give you the optimal view: When you are approaching a turn, ASUS GO zooms in and raises the view angle to let you easily recognise your manoeuvre at the next junction.
If the next turn is at a distance, ASUS GO zooms out and lowers the view angle to show you the road in front of you.
2.4.3 Switching between the 2D and 3D modes
You can switch between the 2D and 3D modes as follows: With the 2D/3D switch buttons Tap them to switch between the two modes. or The value always shows the mode the button switches to: If you are in 2D mode, you can see the button and you need to tap it to switch to 3D mode.
2.4.4 Status information on the map (GPS, battery, etc.)
The following icons show status information on the map in ASUS GO:

Status for

GPS position quality Battery Orientation

More information

ASUS GO always selects the suitable in 2D, 3D or Overview modes: North-Up (North is always at the top of the screen) Track-Up (ASUS GO rotates the map into the direction where you are heading)

Vehicle type

The symbol displays the vehicle type used for route calculation.

2.4.5 Using the Cursor

You can perform the following actions with the location that you selected on the map (with the Cursor): In the active route, use it as: the start point by replacing the current GPS position (available in Advanced mode only) the destination by replacing the previous destination a via point (an intermediate point of the route or waypoint) preceding the destination (available in Advanced mode only) the destination while keeping the previous destination as a via point (available in Advanced mode only)
Save it as one of the following: POI (available in Advanced mode only) Favourite speed camera (available in Advanced mode only)
Push a Pin in the map at the given location (available in Advanced mode only) List the POIs near it

2.5 Using keyboards

You only need to enter letters or numbers in ASUS GO when you cannot avoid it. You can type with your fingertips on the full-screen keyboards and you can switch between various keyboard layouts, for example ABC, QWERTY, or numerical.
Switching to another keyboard type, for example from a QWERTY Tap the button. Latin keyboard to an alphabetical Latin keyboard. ASUS GO remembers your last keyboard choice and offers it the next time you need to enter data. Correcting keyboard your entry on the Remove the unneeded character(s): tap the Hold the button to delete the entire input string. Entering a space, for example between a surname and a family name or in multi-word street names Tap the Finalising the keyboard entry Tap the button. button.

button.

2.6 ASUS GO concepts

2.6.1 Smart Zoom

Smart Zoom is a lot more than just a usual automatic zoom: While following a route calculated by ASUS GO: when approaching a turn, it will zoom in and raise the view angle to let you easily recognise your manoeuvre at the next junction. If the next turn is at a distance, it will zoom out and lower the view angle to be flat so you can see the road in front of you. While driving without an active route in ASUS GO: Smart Zoom will zoom in if you drive slowly and zoom out to the limit set here when you drive at high speed.
2.6.2 Current GPS position and Lock-On-Road
ASUS GO uses the following position markers on the map:
Current GPS position: When your GPS position is available, the ASUS GO icon marks your current position with the icon on the map and points to the direction of your heading. If you are
driving on a two-way road, appears on the side of the road on which you are driving, that is, on the right in Germany and on the left in the U.K.
The selected map location is marked with the radiating red dot on the map.

Lock-On-Road

ASUS GO puts the icon on the road or to your exact GPS position that might be off the road depending on the selection that you made for navigation preferences (page 35).
If you chose a vehicle, the If you chose pedestrian, the
icon is on the road on which you are driving.
icon is at your exact GPS position.
2.6.3 Selected location on the map (Cursor)
If you tap the map, the Cursor appears at the selected point on the map. ASUS GO displays the Cursor with a red dot and radiating red circles to make it visible at all zoom levels, even when it is in the background of a 3D map view. When the Cursor is set, tap of the following: . The Cursor menu appears and you can use the Cursor as one
the starting point of a route (tap
a via point in a route (tap
the destination of a route (tap if a route already exists)
if there is no active route, or tap
You can save the location of the Cursor as:

a Favourite, tap

a speed camera, tap

a POI, tap

a map marker Pin (page 12), tap
2.6.4 Return to GPS position
When the Cursor on the map is not at your GPS position, the to move the displayed map segment to the GPS position. button is visible. Tap it
Even if you move the map while you are driving, ASUS GO continues navigating if Note! there is an active route: it plays the voice instructions and displays the turn preview icons according to your actual GPS position.
2.6.5 Daylight and night colour schemes
ASUS GO uses different skins (colour schemes) during the day and during the night. Daylight colours are similar to paper road maps. The night colour schemes use dark colours for large objects to keep the average brightness of the screen low.
ASUS GO offers several daytime and night colour schemes. It can also switch automatically between the daytime and the night scheme based on the current date and GPS position a few minutes before sunrise, when the sky has already turned bright, and a few minutes after sunset, before it becomes dark.
2.6.6 Route calculation and recalculation
ASUS GO calculates the route based on your preferences: route calculation method (page 35) vehicle and road types (page 35)
ASUS GO automatically recalculates the route if you deviate from the proposed itinerary.

2.6.7 Itinerary

The list of the nearest route events, the driving instructions.
When you are on the map, you can display the itinerary in one of the following ways: On the Cockpit screen tap the area between the Turn preview and the Travel data.
In Advanced mode, tap the following buttons:

2.6.8 Track Logs

ASUS GO can log the track that you drive (page 26). The track log is a recording of how your GPS position changed and it is independent of the route ASUS GO calculated.

2.6.9 Simulation

A simulation drives you through the route, following the driving instructions (page 25). You can use it, for example, to see which bridge ASUS GO planned for the route; if you do not want to take that bridge, you can avoid it.

2.6.10 Speed Cameras

A speed camera is a special POI. ASUS GO is not shipped with a built-in database of speed cameras, but you can add speed cameras by marking their positions on the map.
2.6.11 Speed limit warnings
Maps sometimes contain information about the speed limits of the road segments. This information may not be available for your region (ask your local dealer) or may not be fully correct for all roads in the map. You can configure ASUS GO to warn you if you exceed the current limit.

mode) or (Advanced mode) from the Cursor menu. The route is then automatically calculated, and you can start navigating.
3.1.2.4 Selecting a city centre as the destination
The City Centre is not the geometric centre of the settlement but an arbitrary point the map creators have chosen. In towns and villages, it is usually the most important intersection; in larger cities, it is an important intersection. The procedure is explained starting from the Navigation menu.
3.1.2.5 Entering an address with a postal code
By default, ASUS GO proposes the country/state and settlement where you are. If needed, tap the button with the name of the country/state, and select a different one from the list. Tap the button with the name of the settlement, and enter the postal code: 1. 2. Start entering the code on the keyboard. Get to the hit list: 3. After entering a couple of numbers, the hits that are a match appear in a list.
Start entering the street name on the keyboard. Get to the hit list: After entering a couple of characters, the hits that match the string appear in a list.
3.1.3 Selecting the destination from your Favourites
You can select as your destination a location that you have already saved as a Favourite. The procedure is explained starting from the Navigation menu.

(Simple mode) or

Tap the Favourite that you want to set as your destination.
3.1.4 Selecting the destination from the POIs
You can select your destination from the POIs included with ASUS GO or from the ones you have previously created. The procedure is explained starting from the Navigation menu.
Select the area around which the POIs should be searched. Select the POI category to narrow the search further. If you do not want to narrow the search further, tap the button.
[optional] Sort the result list:

alphabetically with the

button
by the distance from your current position with the

Tap the POI.

3.1.5 Selecting the destination or a waypoint from the History
The destinations that you have set earlier appear in the History. The procedure is explained starting from the Navigation menu.

following

buttons:

mode),

(Advanced mode). 2. 3. If necessary, turn the page to see earlier destinations with the arrow buttons. Tap the desired item.
3.1.6 Selecting the destination by entering its coordinates
(available in Advanced mode only) The procedure is explained starting from the Navigation menu.
Tap the following buttons: (optional) Tap

to change the format of the displayed coordinates.
Tap the latitude or longitude value to change the coordinates: 1. 2. Select the coordinate system: tap WGS84 or UTM. Enter the coordinate values: In WGS84: the latitude (N or S) and the longitude (E or W) In UTM: the number and the letter of the zone, and the X Y coordinates
3.2 Creating a multi-point route
(available in Advanced mode only) 1. 2. 3. Multi-point routes are extended from single routes, so a route must be active first. Select another point as you did in the previous sections. This will be the additional destination in the route. The map appears with the selected point in the middle, and the Cursor menu opens automatically.
to open the full Cursor menu with the additional functions.
Now add the new point to the existing route:
Tap to add the point as an intermediate destination preceding the final destination of the route. to add the point as a new final destination demoting the Tap previous one to the last intermediate destination.
[optional] To add more points to the route, repeat the above steps as many times as you like.
Every time a new point is added, the route is recalculated automatically, and you can start navigating right away.
3.3 Watching the simulation of a route
(available in Advanced mode only) The procedure is explained starting from the Cockpit screen.
Tap the following buttons:
The Route menu appears. There are two ways of running the route simulation:

Tap of the route.

to run the simulation at high speed to give you a quick overview
to run the simulation at normal speed and with voice guidance Tap instructions announced. This option is for demonstration purposes, or for checking difficult parts of the route in advance. button.
The simulation can be aborted any time by tapping the
3.4 Pausing the active route
You do not need to pause the active route: when you start driving again, ASUS GO restarts the voice instructions from your position.
3.5 Deleting the active route
(available in Advanced mode only) The procedure is explained starting from the Cockpit screen.

3.6 Using track logs

ASUS GO can record the track (how your GPS position changed) that you drive. Tip! You do not need to select a destination and create a route for this; you can also record your driving path while cruising.

Recording the travelled path (creating a Track Log)
1. 2. Start driving. Tap the following buttons:
Start the recording: tap the
You return to the map and you can continue driving.
Viewing a Track Log on the map
Tap the log and then tap the
Changing the colour of a Track Log
Tap the log and then tap the button.

3.7 Saving a route

(available in Advanced mode only) When you save a route, ASUS GO only saves the waypoints: If you updated your map since you first saved the route, ASUS GO calculates the driving instructions according to the latest available map information. ASUS GO deletes the information about the legs and waypoints that you already left behind during navigation. If you want to save the route, that is, the waypoints, you need to save it before ASUS GO starts navigating. Tip! If you have a simple route or if you want to save only the destination from a multipoint route, save the destination as a POI.
Saving a multi-point route
The procedure is explained starting from the Cockpit screen.
Enter a name for the saved route, and then tap
3.8 Loading a saved route
Tap the route you wish to navigate. You need to confirm whether you want to stop navigating from the current GPS position (to use the start point of the loaded route as the start point), or keep on navigating to the destination(s) in the route from the GPS position. The map appears, the route is automatically calculated, and you can start navigating.
4 Reference book (Advanced mode)
ASUS GO starts with the Navigation menu. From there you can access the following screens:

Screen

Map Find

Button

The map.
Setting the destination (for example from an address or a POI) or using the search engine of ASUS GO. Managing user data, such as saved point (POI, Favourites, Pins), History items, Saved Routes, and Track logs. Managing the active route (obtain information about it, change or delete it) or plan a route without GPS reception. Managing the navigation settings, for example the language settings or the settings of the map display. This screen has no navigation feature. It merely provides information about the maps and licenses included with your navigation system.

My Data

Settings

4.1 Map

ASUS GO is primarily intended for land navigation. That is why maps in ASUS GO look similar to paper road maps. However, ASUS GO provides much more than regular paper maps: you can customise the look and the content of the map. The most important and most often used screen of ASUS GO is the Map screen. The figures below show what can appear on the map; usually only a couple of them are visible at the same time.

Symbol

Next route event
Opens Route Information screen
Second upcoming route event

Opens Itinerary

Zoom in, zoom out Scale the map

Via point Destination (end point) Route colour
A via point is an intermediate destination. The last point of the route, the final destination. The route always stands out with its colour on the map, both in daylight and in night colour mode, both in 2D and in 3D mode. The active leg of the route is always in a brighter shade than the inactive (upcoming) legs. The section of the route on which you are driving. If you have not added any waypoints (your route only has a start point and the destination), the entire route is the active leg. If you added waypoints, the active leg is the part of the route from your current location to the next waypoint.

Active leg

Inactive legs
Streets and roads that are excluded from the navigation
The future sections of the route; each of them becomes active when you reach the waypoint at its beginning. You can choose whether you want to use or avoid certain road types (page 35). However, when ASUS
GO cannot avoid such roads, the route will include them and it will show them in a colour that is different from the route colour.
Two-way and multi-lane streets ASUS GO displays the route line on the driving side or roads on two-way streets/roads and on the axis of oneway streets/roads. One-way streets If you zoom in and the street line is wide enough, small arrows show the direction of the street.

4.2 Find menu

Select the destination of your route:

Address

If you know at least a part of the address, this page 18 is the quickest way to find the location. You can select as your destination a location page 23 that you have already saved as a Favourite. You can select your destination from the page 23 thousands of POIs included with ASUS GO or from the ones you have previously created. The destinations that you have already page 24 entered in ASUS GO are available in the History list. You can select your destination by entering page 24 its coordinates.

Favourites

History

Coordinates

4.3 Route menu

Tap from the main menu:

Erase the active route with all its route points (start point, waypoints and destination). If you later decide that you need the same route, you will have to rebuild it from scratch. You can modify the route: you can add or remove route points, and change their order.
You can run a demonstration of the route at high speed or at normal speed.
You can browse the driving instructions that ASUS GO follows during navigation. You can exclude manoeuvres or streets to adjust the route to your preferences. Opens a screen with useful route and travel data. You can save the active route for later use. You can load a previously saved route for navigation. Opens the Route settings screen with controls to modify the vehicle, the road types used for route calculation, or the route calculation method.

4.4 Settings menu

To configure the ASUS GO settings, tap the

4.4.1 Visual settings

Visual settings determine the way ASUS GO appears on the screen:

3D settings Map colour

Configures which 3D objects are visible on the map: 3D Landmarks (tourist sights and well-known buildings) Elevated Roads Buildings Terrain Details Configures whether switching between daylight and night colour mode is enabled for the map. Configures which skin (colour scheme) is selected for the modes.
Menu settings Smart Zoom Button animation.
User selectable background picture.
Configures whether Smart Zoom (page 13) is enabled. Related settings: Minimum and maximum zoom levels Automatic restore for Smart Zoom Automatic zooming function when the map returns after find, based on the type of object searched for

Overview

Configures whether the automatic Overview mode (page 13) is enabled. Related settings: Minimum distance of the next route event to trigger the Overview mode. The initial zoom level Overview mode starts with.

4.4.2 Sound settings

You can adjust the volume of ASUS GO sounds.

4.4.3 Regional settings

Regional settings let you personalise the application to fit your local needs of language and data formats.
Program Language Voice Profile
Selects the language of the text on the buttons and in the menus. ASUS GO restarts when you change the language. Selects the language and the profile of the voice instructions.
Distance Distances in ASUS GO can be displayed in various international formats. Units Date and Sets the format of the date and time. Time Format ASUS GO might not support all of the listed units in some voice guidance languages. If you select a measurement unit that is not supported by the chosen voice guidance language, you will see a warning message. Time and Time Zone Sets the time zone. You can also make ASUS GO automatically use the time zone of the GPS position.

4.4.4 Route

There are various settings that influence the way routes are calculated.

4.4.4.1 Route Calculation Method
The following route planning types exist in this application:

Option

Gives the quickest possible route if you can travel at or near the speed limit on all roads. Usually the best selection for fast and normal cars. Gives a route that has the smallest total distance of all possible routes between the waypoints. Usually practical for pedestrians, cyclists or slow vehicles. Combines the benefits of Fast and Short: ASUS GO calculates as if it were calculating the Fast route, but it takes other roads to save petrol. Results in a route with fewer turns. With this option, you can make ASUS GO to take, for example, the motorway instead of series of smaller roads or streets.

Economical

4.4.4.2 Vehicles and Road Types used in route calculation
Route calculation can be based for the following vehicle types: Car Taxi Bus Lorry Emergency vehicles Bicycle Pedestrian
For each vehicle type (page 35), you can set whether ASUS GO should include the following road types when it is calculating a route: When you exclude a road type, you set only a preference. ASUS GO will still Note! include such roads in the routes when it cannot plan a route to your destination in any other way.
Motorways Unpaved roads Toll roads
You might need to avoid motorways when you are driving a slow car or you are towing another vehicle. ASUS GO excludes unpaved roads by default: unpaved roads can be in a bad condition and usually you cannot reach the speed limit on them. By default ASUS GO includes toll roads (pay roads where you can purchase a pass or vignette to use the road for a longer period of time) in the routes. If you
disable toll roads, ASUS GO plans the best toll-free route.
Charge roads Charge roads are pay roads where there is a per-use charge. They can be enabled or disabled separately from toll roads. U-turns ASUS GO can exclude manoeuvres that would include a U-turn. Turning back on dual carriageways does not count as a U-turn.
Permit needed You might need a permit or permission from the owners to use certain roads or to enter certain areas. ASUS GO excludes these roads from the route calculation by default. Ferries ASUS GO includes ferries in a planned route by default. However, a map does not necessarily contain information about the accessibility of temporary ferries. You might also need to pay a fare on ferries.

Cross-border In some cases the route calculated according to your other navigation and route planning preferences would lead through another country. If you wish to always stay within the same country, turn this option off.

4.4.5 Warnings

When you tap , , you can manage the following settings for the map:
Warn When Speeding Speed Camera Warning Warn If Too Fast For A Pedestrian Safety Mode
Shows the current settings for speed limit warnings: whether an audible warning is given when you exceed the speed limit the tolerance of the warning relative to the speed limit
Shows the current settings for the speed camera warnings: audible visible
If route calculation is still in pedestrian mode, but you are driving again, the application will warn you if you reach a speed that is too fast for a pedestrian. Shows whether Safety Mode is on.

5 Glossary

2D/3D GPS reception
The GPS receiver uses satellite signals to calculate its (your) position and need at least four signals to give a three-dimensional position, including elevation. Because the satellites are moving and because objects can block the signals, your GPS device might not receive four signals. If three satellites are available, the receiver can calculate the GPS position but the accuracy is lower and the GPS device does not give you elevation data: only 2D reception is feasible.

Active route

The instructions used in the ongoing navigation. You can save and load routes in ASUS GO, but at most one route is active at any give time, and it is always active until you delete it, reach your destination or you shut down ASUS GO.

City Centre

The City Centre is not the geometric centre of the settlement but an arbitrary point the map creators have chosen. In towns and villages, it is usually the most important intersection; in larger cities, it is an important intersection.

GPS accuracy

Several factors have an impact on the deviation between your real position and the one given by the GPS device. For example, signal delay in the ionosphere or reflecting objects near the GPS device have a different and varying impact on how accurately the GPS device can calculate your position.

ASUS GO works with digital maps which are not simply the computerised versions of traditional paper maps. Similarly to the paper road maps, the 2D mode of digital maps show you streets and roads. In 3D mode, you can also see the height differences, for example valleys and mountains, or buildings. Digital maps, however, differ from paper maps in that you can use them interactively: you can zoom in and out (increase or decrease the scale), you can tilt them up and down, turn them left and right. In GPS-supported navigation, digital maps facilitate route planning.
Can contain one or more via points. The last via point is the destination and the route is cut into different legs (from one via point to another).

Scheme

ASUS GO comes with different colour schemes for the map for the daylight or night use. Schemes are custom graphic settings for the map and they can have different colours for streets, blocks or surface waters in 2D and 3D modes, and they display shades or shadows in different ways in 3D mode. One daytime scheme and one night-time scheme is always selected. ASUS GO uses them when it switches from day to night and back.

Speed Camera

A special POI type. ASUS GO is shipped with a built-in database of fixed and mobile speed cameras but you can also mark the position of a speed camera on the map. You can configure ASUS GO to warn you when you approach a speed camera.